Vidhi Codex

The Indian Forest Act, 1927

The Indian Forest Act, 1927

Environmental192788 sections13 chapters

An Act to consolidate the law relating to forests, the transit of forest-produce and the duty leviable on timber and other forest-produce.

Start reading →Read full ActSections

Chapter I PRELIMINARY →

  1. 1Short title and extent.
  2. 2Interpretation clause.

Chapter II OF RESERVED FORESTS →

  1. 3Power to reserve forests.
  2. 4Notification by State Government.
  3. 5Bar of accrual of forest-rights.
  4. 6Proclamation by Forest Settlement-officer.
  5. 7Inquiry by Forest Settlement-officer.
  6. 8Powers of Forest Settlement-officer.
  7. 9Extinction of rights.
  8. 10Treatment of claims relating to practice of shifting cultivation.
  9. 11Power to acquire land over which right is claimed.
  10. 12Order on claims to rights of pasture or to forest-produce.
  11. 13Record to be made by Forest Settlement-officer.
  12. 14Record where he admits claim.
  13. 15Exercise of rights admitted.
  14. 16Commutation of rights.
  15. 17Appeal from order passed under section 11, section 12, section 15 or section 16.
  16. 18Appeal under section 17.
  17. 19Pleaders.
  18. 20Notification declaring forest reserved.
  19. 21Publication of translation of such notification in neighbourhood of forest.
  20. 22Power to revise arrangement made under section 15 or section 18.
  21. 23No right acquired over reserved forest, except as here provided.
  22. 24Rights not to be alienated without sanction.
  23. 25Power to stop ways and water-courses in reserved forests.
  24. 26Acts prohibited in such forests.
  25. 27Power to declare forest no longer reserved.

Chapter III OF VILLAGE-FORESTS →

  1. 28Formation of village-forests.

Chapter IV OF PROTECTED FORESTS →

  1. 29Protected forests.
  2. 30Power to issue notification reserving trees, etc.
  3. 31Publication of translation of such notification in neighbourhood.
  4. 32Power to make rules for protected forests.
  5. 33Penalties for acts in contravention of notification under section 30 or of rules under section 32.
  6. 34Nothing in this Chapter to prohibit acts done in certain cases.

Chapter V OF THE CONTROL OVER FORESTSAND LANDSNOTBEINGTHE PROPERTY OF GOVERNMENT →

  1. 35Protection of forests for special purposes.
  2. 36Power to assume management of forests.
  3. 37Expropriation of forests in certain cases.
  4. 38Protection of forests at request of owners.

Chapter VI OFTHE DUTY ON TIMBERAND OTHER FOREST-PRODUCE →

  1. 39Power to impose duty on timber and other forest-produce.
  2. 40Limit not to apply to purchase-money or royalty.

Chapter VII OFTHE CONTROLOF TIMBERANDOTHERFOREST-PRODUCE IN TRANSIT →

  1. 41Power to make rules to regulate transit of forest-produce.
  2. 41APowers of Central Government as to movements of timber across customs frontiers.
  3. 42Penalty for breach of rules made under section 41.
  4. 43Governments and Forest-officers not liable for damage to forest-produce at depot.
  5. 44All persons bound to aid in case of accident at depot.

Chapter VIII OF THE COLLECTIONOF DRIFTAND STRANDED TIMBER →

  1. 45Certain kinds of timber to be deemed property of Government until title thereto proved, and may be collected accordingly.
  2. 46Notice to claimants of drift-timber.
  3. 47Procedure on claim preferred to such timber.
  4. 48Disposal of unclaimed timber.
  5. 49Government and its officers not liable for damage to such timber.
  6. 50Payments to be made by claimant before timber is delivered to him.
  7. 51Power to make rules and prescribe penalties.

Chapter IX PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE →

  1. 52Seizure of property liable to confiscation.
  2. 53Power to release property seized under section 52.
  3. 54Procedure thereupon.
  4. 55Forest-produce, tools, etc., when liable to confiscation.
  5. 56Disposal, on conclusion of trial for forest-offence, of produce in respect of which it was committed.
  6. 57Procedure when offender not known, or cannot be found.
  7. 58Procedure as to perishable property seized under section 52.
  8. 59Appeal from orders under section .55, section 56 or section 57.
  9. 60Property when to vest in Government.
  10. 61Saving of power to release property seized.
  11. 62Punishment for wrongful seizure.
  12. 63Penalty for counterfeiting or defacing marks on trees and timber and for altering boundary-marks.
  13. 64Power to arrest without warrant.
  14. 65Power to release on a bond a person arrested.
  15. 66Power to prevent commission of offence.
  16. 67Power to try offences summarily.
  17. 68Power to compound offences and impose penalties.
  18. 69Presumption that forest-produce belongs to Government.

Chapter X CATTLE-TRESPASS →

  1. 70Cattle-trespass Act, 1871, to apply.
  2. 71Power to alter fines fixed under that Act.

Chapter XI OF FOREST-OFFICERS →

  1. 72State Government may invest Forest-officers with certain powers.
  2. 73Forest-officers deemed public servants.
  3. 74Indemnity for acts done in good faith.
  4. 75Forest-officers not to trade.

Chapter XII SUBSIDIARY RULES →

  1. 76Additional powers to make rules.
  2. 77Penalties for breach of rules.
  3. 78Rules when to have force of law.

Chapter XIII MISCELLANEOUS →

  1. 79Persons bound to assist Forest-officers and police-officers.
  2. 80Management of forests the joint property of Government and other persons.
  3. 81Failure to perform service for which a share in produce of Government forest is enjoyed.
  4. 82Recovery of money due to Government.
  5. 83Lien on forest-produce for such money.
  6. 84Land required under this Act to be deemed to be needed for a public purpose under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.
  7. 85Recovery of penalties due under bond.
  8. 85ASaving for rights of Central Government.
  9. 86[Repealed.].

PDF: pending for this language.